Book Review: Guantanamo Voices: True Accounts from the World's Most Infamous Prison / Edited by Sarah Mirk

 

Sick Day Book Review.

I can't remember the last time I took a sick day - this might be a once a decade happening for me. But this morning I was hit by the migraine fairy and was incapable of doing anything but sitting in the dark. Eventually, the fairy loosened her grip and I could read a bit if the light was dim and it was quiet.

So how do I spend a sick day (after I slept through first block?) I start a knitting project that matches the colors of my book that I am reading. (And drink LOTS of water - doesn't water heal everything?)

This is a terribly sad and confusing story well told through a series of interviews. The interviewees all had Guantanamo connections - from prisoners to attorneys to NCIS. Then the interviews were placed in a comic strip format and each interview was illustrated by a different artist. The color scheme pulls the book together - all in sunset colors (as is my knitting project - that is a coincidence.)

This story makes my heart hurt, but I am glad that I read it.

Guantanamo Voices will soon be found on the Nashua South shelves (I just need to figure out where to put it), on the shelves at the Nashua Public Library and through NPL's Hoopla.

Book Review: This is My America by Kim Johnson

Depending on your perspective a book can be either a window or a mirror.

We all walk through our world with different expectations and realities. My white skin makes my walk pretty easy - people generally expect the best from me. They see me as grandmotherly and not particularly threatening. I once had a police officer apologize for giving me a ticket because I was "such a nice lady."

Contrast that to the experience of an African American walking through the streets of our country. It just is not the same - and this novel illustrates that beautifully.

Tracy Beaumont has been writing to the Innocence X Headquarters regularly for years. You see, her father is sitting on death row, waiting for execution for a murder he did not commit. Tracy hopes that Innocence X will take his case an appeal his conviction. Soon enough, Tracy's brother Jamal also finds himself running from a crime that he did not commit. Tracy is concerned that her brother, just like her father, won't get a fair shake from the police or a fair trial. 

Read this book - if you are a white person - Tracy's "Know Your Rights Workshops" will give you a glimpse into a world that might astound you. You might find a window, you might even find a mirror.

Read this book - if you are black - you may see some of your own experiences between the covers of this book. You might find a mirror, you might also find a window.

Here you will find history, empathy, self reckoning, introspection, love, family, caring and a whole lot more. This is one big adventure that will have you walking in someone else's shoes - no matter who you are. 

 Make sure that you read the Author's notes at the end of the book. These notes will add additional perspective.

Book Review: Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam

 

This book tells the story of Amal, a young black teen who finds himself in the middle of a fight. The victim of the fight is seriously injured and Amal is arrested for the crime.

Things to know:

• Amal is black
• The other kid is white 

This is the story of inequality, the school to prison pipeline, about expectations and assumptions, about art and literature and poetry and family and friends... about life inside black male skin. 

This novel in verse not only punches the air, but is a punch in the gut. It is so good and will leave you thinking. 

You can find this book at the Nashua Public library or it is available through Libby or SORA (if you have attached your Nashua Public Library card.)

Before you start, watch this video about The Story Behind Punching the Air